Scrummy Wednesdays: Zucchini (courgette) Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

I KNOW it sounds super weird and disgusting, but I am telling you that could not be further from the truth. I made some last night and I've already eaten 3 today... My love for these bad boys began on my recent trip to LA where I had them sans cream cheese in the sorority house I was staying at and as much as I loved them I knew they could be improved (because cheese improves EVERYTHING). In addition to this, I'm trying out a gluten free diet at the moment and these are great for that! Plus people are always surprised that they're so yummy as they sound so unusual. Sooo here is my recipe for zucchini (the yanks term for courgettes) muffins with cream cheese frosting - perfect for desert or breakfast in my opinion :D This recipe makes 12 American size giant muffins or about 24 normal cupcake sized muffins.

You'll need this stuff for the muffins:
3 courgettes (which is about 330g)
75g melted unsalted butter
150g sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda (I used gluten free)
Pinch salt
350g plain flour (I used gluten free)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
(You can also add 100g raisins or cranberries if you like, but I prefer them without)

And this stuff for the frosting:
60g unsalted butter (soft/at room temp)
115g cream cheese
450g Icing Sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


1. So first preheat the oven to 175C (350F) and then grate the courgettes on the small side of the grater, it can take a while...
2. Then in a bowl, combine the sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla. Stir in the grated courgette and the melted butter. I know it looks weird and bright green at this point but have faith!
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon and then slowly stir it into the courgette mixture. (At this point stir in the cranberries or raisins if you're using them)
4. Brush a tiny bit of melted butter or veg oil onto each muffin case (because they still reeeeeally easily) and then distribute the muffin mix into the cases - it's super helpful to use a little ice cream scoop here because then they're all the same size; something I learnt from the lovely Ina Garten :D
5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until they have just a little bit of colour, but not too dark and let them cool.
6. For the frosting, in a bowl mix together the butter and cream cheese (you can use an electric mixer if you like but it works without). Add the vanilla and then slowly add the icing sugar, stirring all the time so that it gets to just the right soft texture. And there ya go!
7. I like to dollop a bit on each muffin, nothing too fancy and voila.